Lock tumbler



April 25, 1939. P, W QLSON 2,155,734

IL091/4 TUMBLER' I Filed Feb. 20, 1934 g/ All' L? Hag,

Patented Apr. 25, 1939 UNITED STATES LOCK TUMBLER Phillip W. Olson, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to Automatic Instrument Company, `Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application February 20, 1934, Serial No. 712,240

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in locks, and more particularly to improvements in the construction and arrangement of the lock tumblers.

Objects of the invention are to increase the safety of the lock and to make it more .difcult to pick the lock or to operate it in any manner without the use of the proper key; to provide a lock in which the significant surfaces of the key are more'difiicult to ascertain for the purpose of duplication; and to provide a lock in which it is practically impossible to position the tumblers so that an impression can be taken for making a key all so that the plug may be turned.

Other objects are to provide a construction by which a greater number of tumbler combinations may be provided in the same length of plug, and to provide two available movements for each tumbler element so as to greatly multiply the possible combinations for a given number of standardized tumbler patterns.

Further objects are to simplify the plug construction andreduce the number of operations necessary for fabricating or forming the parts; and to simplify and facilitate the assembling operations.

l Heretofore it has been necessary to provide in the plugs, in'addition to the tumbler slots, pins or other` abutment surfaces for the tumbler springs, while in this invention the tumblers are self contained, being divided into parts with the springs contained within the parts for separating them to press the tumblers outwardly the amount permitted by the spring. Accordingly the slots may be perfectly straight, and the springs may 'be mountedfin the tumblers, and each of the tumblers assembled as an individual unit in its slot.

Shoulders for abutting against the top and bottom of the key are provided on the tumbler elements for limiting their outward movement. This facilitates the assembling of theplug into the lock barrel, and prevents wear and battering of the ends of the tumbler plates against the bottom of the locking grooves in the barrel which might tend to decrease the accuracy necessary in positioning the tumblers for unlocking or otherwise interfere with the operation of the lock.

The invention is embodied in the lock shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a transverse section through the lock taken on the line I-I of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is an end View of the plug cylinder.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the plug, with an end (Cl. 'Z0-358) portion broken away to show a portion of the interior and parts contained therein.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the plug, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the composite tumblers.

Fig. 6 is a view taken the same as Fig. 4, showing the tumblers retracted intothe plug Vby th insertion of the key.

Fig. 7 is a view of the key turned over to show the groove for operating the tumblers, as shown in Fig. 6, in full lines, it being understood that the key is provided with a deviating groove in each side which is formed suitably for operating the lateral set of tumblers related therewith.

The barrel or casing 6, which is to be fixedly mounted in a lock housing structure, is of a hollow cylindrical formation, and has pairs of oppositely disposed longitudinal locking grooves 9 in the bore I0 thereof, for accommodating two oppositely disposed sets of tumblers II, in the particular type of lock shown.

As will become obvious, the features of invention may be used as well in other typesof construction, which may have only one row of tumblers, different arrangements of the rows and so on, or the barrel possibly may have a groove only in one side so that the tumblers project from the plug in only one direction.

In the construction shown, the key plug 8 is made of two complementary halves I2 and I3, which are secured together by end rings I4. The faces of the halves are milled longitudinally to provide, when assembled, a longitudinal keyway of rectangular cross section I5 extending therethrough, and the halves are milled transversely to provide tumbler slots I6, at each side of the` keyway, and interlocking fingers I1 which form the inner sides of the slots and insure proper alignment between the halves. Aside from the plain keyway and tumbler slots, there are no special provisions necessary in the construction of the' plug cylinder. The plug is rotatably mounted in the barrel, and may be restrained fromY longitudinal movement in the barrel in any suitable manner, and may have any suitable means for making an operative connection to the bolt of the lock, not shown.

The tumbler elements I I comprise two plates I8 and I9 which conform in length to the slots so that the plates may be positioned for unlocking with both ends thereof flush with the surface of the plug; and the slightest movement in either direction will cause either one end or the other to project and engage the side of a groove 9 of the casing 8. The plates each have a longitudinal recess or central aperture 20 which register laterally to form a pocket for receiving a coiled wire tumbler spring 2|. Thus the spring is compressed longitudinally between the ends of the apertures, and serves to press the plates outwardly from the plug in opposite directions for locking engagement in the grooves 9 to prevent the rotation of the plug. The separation of the plates is stopped when the apertures are in registration and the two plates become a tumbler which is longer than the diameter of the plug.

The outward movement of the plates may be limited in the plug by a shoulder 22, which is formed on the inner edges of the plates and abuts against the top or bo-ttom of the keyway, according to the direction of movement of the particular plate; and each plate is provided with a key engagement lug 23 which projects into the keyway. Y

'Ihe tumblers are retracted and drawn in ush with thesurface of the plug by the insertion of a key 2`4. The key is notched at the end for engaging the pairs of lugs 273 and drawing the parts of the tumblers together; and is provided, in each side, with an irregular groove 25 which isformed. to provide surfaces in the sides thereof for accurately positioning the tumblers for unlocking when the key is fully inserted. The sides of the groove have no relation with each other because the lugs of the plates which are. drawn upwardly bear against the lower Side of the groove, and the lugs which are drawn downwardly bear against the upper side, the grooves being wider than the length` of the lugs.

The depth of the insertion of the key is determined by shoulders 26, provided on the shank of the key, which abut against the face of the plug so that the tumbler positioning surfaces in the sides of the grooves are placed in registration with the corresponding lugs.

For obtaining different combinations, the lugs are located at diierent places along the edges of. the plates. Thus one plate pattern may have the lug in the middle so that the lug must be positioned along theaxis of the keyway; another pattern may have the` lug offset toward onefend of the plate a short distance; and a third pattern may have lugs offset a greater distance.

Thus each pair of plates may be varied by using diiferent combinations, reversals, and relative transpositions ofthe three plate patterns, as Vwell as diierent consecutive arrangements of patterns in the slots for making up the combinations.

, By using double tumblers, the numberof double tumbler elements are doubled in ther same size of plug. Each double tumbler with its spring is a self contained unit, and may be easily assembled by placing the two plates together, inserting the springs, and then laying the tumbler in its slot, the springs being then held from jumping out while the halves of the tumbler are being assembled.

Thus the two tumbler halves become the holder for the spring in placing the Spring into the plug. Since the springs are quite minute in size, considerable diiiiculty is often met in hav- -ing the springs jump out of position, or become disarranged during the assembling of the other parts of the plug. The installing of the springs and tumblers is greatly simplified, and considerable time is saved thereby, which reduces the cost of the locks in quantity production.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A lock comprising a pair of tumblers, a cylindricalv plug having a longitudinal key-Way with a transverse tumbler slot, a pair of tumblers arranged side by side and movable in opposite directions in the same slot, the tumblers having median apertures, and a spring compressed between the apertures of the tumblers and retained therein by the sides of the slot, and tendingto press the tumblers outwardly from the opposite sides of the plug.

2. A lock comprising a cylindrical plug` consisting of a p air of semifcylindrical members together providing a longitudinal key-way` hav ing transverse tumbler slots. in each member intersecting the key-way, tumblers comprising two centrally aperturedplatesslidably fitting in each tumbler slot, and a spring compressedwithin the apertures of each pair,- oitumblersandconiined therein by the sides of the tumbler slot and tendingv to press the tumblers outwardlyA from opposite sides ofthe plug.

3. A lock comprising a cylindrical, plughaving; a longitudinal key-,way with transverse-tumbler. slots intersectingthe keyfway at. oppositesides, a plurality o f pairs; of tumblerseach p air` fitrv ting slidably in aturnbler. slotv andhavingvdouf.

ble tumbler endaeaCh; pair of tumblers having-l median apertures and an extended coilspring.

compressiblev within the joint apertures; of; each pair of tumblers andtending to: press thetumblersV in opposite directionsLand' each tumbler having a lateral projection atits-edgeextending into the key-way for engagement with akey for; drawing the tumblers into the plugV f for unlocking.

4. Astructure inaccordance withfclaim; 3fm

which'the edges ofthe tumblershaveshouldersi for engagement p with the top-and bottom LofatheA key-way. for; limiting their outward; movement: PHILLIP W. OLSON; 

